Virgin Hotels New York — Hotel Review
Why book?
Fans of the Virgin brand’s rock-n-roll personality will no doubt enjoy this playful property, which is certainly designed to be a social hub and event space more than a peaceful respite from the chaos of the city. It has a spectacularly convenient location in the oh-so-trendy NoMad neighborhood just blocks from Penn Station, the subway lines of Herald Square, and the Empire State Building—of which some rooms have a picture-perfect view.
Set the scene
The nearly 40-story tower and its associated complex run the length of a full city block, but despite the big exterior, the lobby is a minimalist affair. With white walls, a dark subway-tile floor, and just a light smattering of furniture, the cavernous space feels a tinge stark. There is, however, a large mural entitled “Where’s Richard?” by Nigel Sussman, a riff on the Where’s Waldo—or, if you’re from the U.K., Where’s Wally?—books with Virgin helmsman Sir Richard Branson as the star. To find the wow factor, you’ll have to ride the elevators to the third or fourth floors where the more over-the-top decor resides. (Just beware of those elevators, which, during our stay, were experiencing a number of mechanical malfunctions.)
As we stayed for the grand opening party, it’s hard to say if the audience we encountered at the hotel were typical hotel guests. The party, of course, was a raucous scene. But in the morning, businesspeople filled the restaurant with laptops out, AirPods in, and coffee in hand. Because there’s so much event space here—19,000 square feet of it—we wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes something of a business hotel by day and a party hotel by night. Work hard, play hard, right?
The backstory
Virgin Hotels New York is the seventh hotel in the Virgin Hotels group, the latest in a slate of rapid-fire post-pandemic openings in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Nashville, and Edinburgh. It’s a new build, which means that the entire property was designed to Virgin Hotels’ specifications.
The rooms
Rooms at Virgin Hotels are called Chambers, unless you’re in a Suite or a Penthouse. There are 460 rooms in total. Our room was a Sky Chamber King with an Empire View—and you bet we had a glorious view of the Empire State Building. Unfortunately, the bed was facing the wrong direction, so you face away from that view while reclining, but that’s not the case in every Empire View room.
Chambers at Virgin Hotels New York have white-and-beige color palettes with the occasional pop of the brand’s signature red. Interestingly, the rooms are divided into two parts: the Dressing Room and the Lounge. The Dressing Room is a combination of an entrance hallway, a closet, and a bathroom all in the same space. Open the door to the Chamber, and you’re faced with a sink, a vanity, two wardrobes, and two frosted-glass doors, behind which are a shower and a toilet. It’s a pretty unusual setup that doesn’t promote much privacy, though there’s a sliding door that separates the Dressing Room from the Lounge. (We found it a little unsettling that there’s a peephole in this door, so someone in the Lounge can peer into the Dressing Room as someone dresses—but perhaps that’s a plus for some.) Amenities include Red Flower toiletries and a yoga mat in the wardrobe.
There’s really only one major piece of furniture in the Lounge, and that’s Virgin Hotels’ patented bed. The upholstered headboard extends to one side and becomes a seat, with a marble-top tulip end table for dining. A unique feature of this bed is the one-corner footboard—sink back into that corner, and you’ll feel as if you’re in a lounger. The other piece of furniture in the room is the mini-bar in the corner, which comes with a bright-red Smeg mini fridge.
Overall, the rooms are industrial and a little sparse, but that’s likely by design. You’re meant to spend quality time in bed—whatever that means to you—but otherwise you should be out and about socializing.
Food and drink
Currently there’s just one restaurant open at Virgin Hotels New York: Everdene, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Located on the third floor, this is the social hub of the hotel, with a bar, space for live performances, and a colorful dining room filled with sofas and armchairs. In our opinion, some of the seating arrangements are a bit better for cocktails and bites rather than full meals, which makes sense when you consider that Everdene will host events most nights of the week. The outdoor space here is also enormous, and in the warmer months, glass walls retract for a lively indoor-outdoor scene. At the end of the space, there’s a Virgin-red grand staircase that leads to the fourth floor, which is largely unfinished as of the April 2023 grand opening. Here you’ll find the pool deck, a pool bar, a lounge, and a fine-dining restaurant that’s yet-to-be-named.
The spa
Opening summer 2023.
The neighborhood/area
Virgin Hotels New York is just a block from Ace Hotel New York, the property that initiated NoMad’s hotel boom back in 2009. It’s not surprising that it’s a popular place for tourists and business travelers to stay—it’s quite centrally located in Manhattan with proximity to a number of subway lines. Because of this proliferation of both luxury and boutique hotels, NoMad has a robust dining and nightlife scene.
The service
Overall, the service was fine, but not noteworthy. We’ll give the hotel a pass here, as we stayed the night of the hotel’s grand opening party, which was fairly chaotic and likely atypical of a normal night at the hotel.
For families
Virgin is very much an adult brand—cue the “intimacy kit” in the Chambers—so don’t expect to see too many families around. But the hotel is pet-friendly, so you can feel comfortable bringing four-legged members of the family.
Anything left to mention?
As of April 2023, the hotel is in a soft-opening phase, with many of the public spaces unfinished. While it’s a perfectly comfortable hotel as-is, we’re excited to see how the property really comes alive as its full suite of programming gets underway.
